Apparatus and method for providing enhanced wireless coverage, improved service performance, and reduced battery power consumption

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of the invention describe a novel solution to enhance network service to devices with limited or no connectivity. Embodiments include network-aware nodes deployed by an end-user or operator which are configured by a network to achieve enhanced coverage, enhanced throughput, enhanced battery life, and mitigation of cell boundary experiences, etc. Embodiments provide these benefits to a specified or non-specified set of user equipment (e.g., neighboring user equipment). The service expansion terminal can be an available user equipment that is idle and that has been volunteered, assigned, or is a dedicated node with limited user interface and designed for carrying out enhanced coverage, enhanced throughput, enhanced battery life, and the mitigation of cell boundary experiences, etc. Embodiments may therefore provide low-cost, flexible deployment, and mobility thereby enabling boundaryless service.

RELATED U.S. APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of and priority to the provisionalpatent application, Ser. No. 61/912,396, Attorney Docket NumberHW-91003676US01, entitled “DUMMY USER EQUIPMENT (DUE) SOLUTION TOUBIQUITOUS SERVICE IN 5G NETWORK,” with filing date Dec. 5, 2013, whichis hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention relate to communication networksand in particular to wireless communication networks.

BACKGROUND

With the ongoing rise in wireless network use and mobile device use,increased reliance on wireless networks and mobile devices has drivendemand for better coverage and increased network throughput. Throughputis related to the signal strength and coverage of the wireless network.As such, devices receiving low signal strength (or those devices locatedat or beyond the edge of the network) often experience limited or nonetwork service. Conventionally, network coverage is extended by addingmore base stations. However, adding more base stations is costly interms of both capital expenditures as well as operational expenditures.There are other problems with merely adding base stations as thecoverage solution. For instance, adding base stations takes time todeploy. In addition, it may not be economical to add a base stationuntil there are enough end users to justify the investment. Basestations are also not suitable to be deployed for temporary uses, suchas for a meeting, public event, sporting event, etc. Indeed, today'smobile users are constantly on the move and coverage is an issue whendriving a car, riding a train, or riding on a bus. Another problemassociated with coverage is that the wireless signals may not be strongenough to reach certain spots due to interference or being blocked by aphysical object.

SUMMARY

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This Summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended tobe used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

Embodiments include providing network-aware nodes deployed by anend-user or operator which are configured by a network to achieveenhanced coverage, enhanced throughput, enhanced battery life, andmitigation of cell boundary experiences. The novel node may be one thatis an available user equipment that is idle and that has beenvolunteered or assigned. Alternatively, the novel node may be adedicated node. Embodiments may therefore provide a low-cost solution,offering flexible deployment, and mobility thereby enabling“boundaryless” service (e.g., 5G networks).

In general, a service enhancing device is provided for enhancing serviceto one or more devices that are in close proximity to the serviceenhancing device. In one embodiment of the present invention, standardcell phones are used to function as the service enhancing device. Theservice enhancing device is configured to receive data intended for aclient device and originating from a base station. In order to providethe enhanced coverage, the signal strength of the communication linkbetween the client device and the service enhancing device is greaterthan the signal strength of the communication link that is between theclient device and the base station. In addition to transmitting thedata, the service enhancing device also transmits control signalsgenerated by the base station directly to the client device. In contrastto relays and boosters, the service enhancing device does not generateits own control signals.

More specifically, one embodiment of the present invention is directedto a device operable to communicate with a client device over a firstcommunication link, the device comprising: a processor; a memory coupledto the processor; a logic unit coupled to the processor; and atransmitter and a receiver coupled to the processor, wherein thereceiver is configured to receive data for a client device originatingfrom a base station when the device is proximately located to the clientdevice, wherein a signal strength of the first communication link isgreater than a signal strength of a second communication link betweenthe client device and the base station, and wherein the transmitter isconfigured to transmit control signals generated by the base station tothe client device, and wherein further the transmitter and receiver arefurther configured to extend wireless service connectivity to the clientby sending and receiving data between the client device and the basestation.

Another embodiment of the present invention is directed to a method forenhancing network service, the method comprising: receiving data for aclient device from a base station at a communication device using afirst transmission scheme, wherein the client device is subscribed tothe base station and wherein said communication device is a mobileelectronic device that is determined to be idle; processing the data fortransmission to the client using a second transmission scheme; andsending the data to the client based on the second transmission scheme,wherein the client device is proximately located relative to thecommunication device, and wherein the communication device is configuredto communicate data to the client device in conjunction with the basestation, and wherein the communication device is configured to provideenhanced wireless coverage to the client device over that provided bythe base station.

Another embodiment of the present invention is directed to a mobiledevice comprising: a processor; a transmitter and a receiver coupled tothe processor and operable for communicating with a component of acommunications network and a plurality of terminal devices; and a memorycoupled to the processor and having stored therein instructions that,when executed, cause the device to perform a method comprising:identifying a subset of terminal devices of the plurality of terminaldevices wherein the subset are proximately located to the device,wherein the transmitter and receiver send and receive data at a higherrate within the communication network than the subset of terminaldevices; forming a collaborative group comprising the device and thesubset of terminal devices; and establishing communication links betweenthe communication network and the collaborative group.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are incorporated in and form a part of thisspecification. The drawings illustrate embodiments. Together with thedescription, the drawings serve to explain the principles of theembodiments:

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary operating environment, in accordance withvarious embodiments.

FIG. 2 shows an exemplary network assisted setup process of a serviceenhancer deployed by an end-user, in accordance with embodiments of thepresent invention.

FIG. 3 shows an exemplary process performed by a network componentduring network-assisted setup of a service enhancer device deployed byan end-user, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 4 shows an exemplary network independent setup process of a serviceenhancer device deployed by an end-user, in accordance with embodimentsof the present invention.

FIG. 5 shows an exemplary process performed by a network componentduring network independent setup of a service enhancer device deployedby an end-user, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 6 shows an exemplary setup process of a service enhancer devicedeployed by an operator, in accordance with embodiments of the presentinvention.

FIG. 7 shows an exemplary process performed by a network componentduring setup of a service enhancer device deployed by an operator, inaccordance with embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 8 shows an exemplary setup process of a device volunteered tofunction as a service enhancer device, in accordance with embodiments ofthe present invention.

FIG. 9 shows an exemplary process performed by a network componentduring setup of a device volunteered to function as a service enhancerdevice, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 10 shows an exemplary setup process of a device assigned by thenetwork to function as a service enhancer device, in accordance withembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 11 shows an exemplary process performed by a network componentduring setup of a device assigned by the network to function as aservice enhancer device, in accordance with embodiments of the presentinvention.

FIG. 12 shows exemplary communications associated with network assistedservice enhancer discovery and offloading processes, in accordance withvarious embodiments.

FIG. 13 shows exemplary communications associated with networkindependent service enhancer discovery and offloading processes, inaccordance with embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 14 shows exemplary communications associated with network assistedservice enhancer discovery and offloading processes, in accordance withembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 15 shows exemplary communications associated with networkindependent service enhancer discovery and offloading processes, inaccordance with embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 16 shows a block diagram of an exemplary computer system platformin accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 17 shows a block diagram of another computer system platform inaccordance with embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of theclaimed subject matter, examples of which are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings. While the claimed subject matter will bedescribed in conjunction with the preferred embodiments, it will beunderstood that they are not intended to be limit to these embodiments.On the contrary, the claimed subject matter is intended to coveralternatives, modifications and equivalents, which is included withinthe spirit and scope as defined by the appended claims.

Furthermore, in the following detailed descriptions of embodiments ofthe claimed subject matter, numerous specific details are set forth inorder to provide a thorough understanding of the claimed subject matter.However, it will be recognized by one of ordinary skill in the art thatthe claimed subject matter is practiced without these specific details.In other instances, well known methods, procedures, components, andcircuits have not been described in detail as not to unnecessarilyobscure aspects of the claimed subject matter.

Some portions of the detailed description which follows are presented interms of procedures, steps, logic blocks, processing, and other symbolicrepresentations of operations on data bits that can be performed oncomputer memory. These descriptions and representations are the meansused by those skilled in the data processing arts to most effectivelyconvey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. Aprocedure, computer generated step, logic block, process, etc., is here,and generally, conceived to be a self-consistent sequence of steps orinstructions leading to a desired result. Usually, though notnecessarily, these quantities take the form of electrical or magneticsignals capable of being stored, transferred, combined, compared, andotherwise manipulated in a computer system. It has proven convenient attimes, principally for reasons of common usage, to refer to thesesignals as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers,or the like.

It should be borne in mind, however, that all of these and similar termsare to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and aremerely convenient labels applied to these quantities. Unlessspecifically stated otherwise as apparent from the followingdiscussions, it is appreciated that throughout the present claimedsubject matter, discussions utilizing terms such as “storing,”“creating,” “protecting,” “receiving,” “encrypting,” “decrypting,”“processing,” “sending,” “determining,” “communicating,” “identifying,”“forming,” “establishing,” “assigning,” or the like, refer to the actionand processes of a computer system or integrated circuit, or similarelectronic computing device, including an embedded system, thatmanipulates and transforms data represented as physical (electronic)quantities within the computer system's registers and memories intoother data similarly represented as physical quantities within thecomputer system memories or registers or other such information storage,transmission or display devices.

As described herein, embodiments of the present invention includenetwork-aware nodes that are deployed by an end-user or operator whichare configured by a communication network to achieve the followingbenefits: enhanced coverage; enhanced throughput; enhanced battery life;and the mitigation of cell boundary experiences. The cell boundaryexperiences may include deadzones or “near deadzones” in networkcoverage. Embodiments aim to ameliorate at least one of these problems.In accordance with one implementation, the terminal or device is anavailable user equipment that is idle and that has been volunteered,assigned, or it may be a dedicated node with limited user interface.Embodiments may therefore provide low-cost, flexible deployment, andmobility thereby enabling boundaryless service (e.g., 5G networks).

Embodiments described herein address need-based deployment issuesthereby providing a cost efficient alternative to other performanceenhancement approaches. The deployment is flexible in that embodimentsmay be fixed, temporary, nomadic, or mobile. For example, embodimentscan be deployed based on the needs of other devices thereby facilitatingsubstantial performance gains in terms of 1) throughput and 2) coveragein blind spots (e.g., a coverage hole) and hot spots (e.g., area withmany devices). Some embodiments provide a low cost device that isdeployed by a user and may be a cost efficient alternative tooperator-based solutions. For example, smart phones, tablets, laptops,or other mobile computing devices can be used. In contrast, operatorbased solutions, such as centralized radio access network (C-RAN),heterogeneous networks, and relays all require permanent installation ofcostly equipment (by an operator or service provider), substantialbackhaul investment, and costly continuous monitoring and service.

The term “user equipment” (UE) is used herein to refer to terminals,e.g., wireless connected handsets, cell phones, smart phones, tablets,and other mobile computing devices. User equipment in need of networkservice or enhanced service, due to limited or weak access to a wirelessnetwork in a particular area is referred to as “target user equipment”(TUE). The target user equipment provides enhanced connectivity andperformance from a service enhancer device, as described herein.

FIG. 1 and FIGS. 16-17 illustrate example components used by variousembodiments of the present invention. Although specific components aredisclosed in FIGS. 1 and 16-17, it should be appreciated that suchcomponents are exemplary. That is, embodiments of the present inventionare well suited to having various other components or variations of thecomponents recited in FIGS. 1 and 16-17. It is appreciated that thecomponents in FIGS. 1 and 16-17 may operate with other components thanthose presented, and that not all of the components of FIGS. 1 and 16-17are required to achieve the goals of embodiments of the presentinvention.

FIG. 1 depicts an exemplary operating environment 100 that includes abase station 102, a service enhancer 104, and computing devices 110-118.The computing devices 110 and 118 may be: smart phones; tablets; or ofany other mobile computing device type. The computing devices 114 and116 may be: laptops; notebooks; desktops; or of any other computingdevice type. In some embodiments, computing devices 110-118 are userequipment. Base station 102 is a wireless network base stationconfigured to transmit and receive data (e.g., control plane and userplane data) to and from computing devices 110-118. The base station 102is communicatively coupled to a backbone and other portions of awireless network 101 including other base stations which, in combinationwith other components (e.g., servers, backhaul, etc.), forms a wirelessnetwork covering a large geographic area. The wireless network 101includes base station 102 and is configured to provide wirelessconnectivity to computing devices 110-118 and to provide connectivity toother networks (e.g., other wireless networks, the Internet, etc.).

It is appreciated that the service enhancer device 104 (“serviceenhancer”) is a node that may be specialized, dedicated, custom, or userequipment. For example, in one implementation, the service enhancer 104is a user's smartphone with capabilities for enhancing wireless serviceto the computing devices 116-118. The service enhancer 104 may bevolunteered by a user and used to enhance network functions after thenetwork has acknowledged the introduction of user's smartphone as theservice enhancer 104.

The service enhancer 104 is configured for communicating with thecomputing devices 116-118 in order to improve quality of service (QoS)over the network. The service enhancer 104 and computing devices 116-118may form a collaborative group to enhance service. For example, jointprocessing is performed by the service enhancer 104 and the computingdevices 116-118 whereby each device processes a respective signal, andthrough cooperative communication, the devices improve the quality ofthe received data that is targeted for an individual device in thatgroup. The service enhancer 104 can also delegate work to the computingdevices 116-118, thereby coordinating cooperative processing of databetween them. It is noted that the network can send data to the serviceenhancer 104 organized in a manner allowing optimized processing underthe direction of the service enhancer 104.

The service enhancer 104 can be user deployed or operator (e.g.,employee of wireless service provider) deployed. The service enhancer104 can also be configured to operate with existing backhaul equipmentof a wireless network (e.g., without any changes to the backhaulequipment). The operator can deploy the service enhancer 104 to alocation based on other devices in (or expected to be in) that area fora period of time. The service enhancer 104 can be used to enhancenetwork performance in areas with coverage holes or where the wirelessnetwork is overloaded. For example, the service enhancer 104 can bedeployed to a location that allows it to support UEs at the boundary ofa wireless network or to a location that will be densely packed withmobile devices for an event (e.g., a mall, a concert venue, an airportterminal, a train station, etc.). As another example, the serviceenhancer 104 can be strategically placed in a neighborhood to helpimprove network quality of service (QoS). A user may purchase theservice enhancer 104 from an electronics store and install the serviceenhancer 104 in his or her home, office, car, desk, etc. The serviceenhancer 104 may further be actively used in a user's brief case orother portable carrying apparatus.

When the service enhancer 104 is added to a network, initial handshakingor initial setup communications are performed in order for the serviceenhancer 104 to be used in the network and acknowledged by the network.For example, the service enhancer 104 sends information about itselfincluding, but not limited to, its processing power and capabilities tothe base station 102. In some embodiments, whereby the service enhancer104 is setup by an operator, the service enhancer 104 is configured(e.g., by the operator) in advance of being added to the network. Theacknowledgement by the network includes communication with the wirelessnetwork 101 (e.g., backbone of the wireless network) associated withbase station 102.

In one implementation, the service enhancer 104 acts as a hub, transferpoint, middle point, etc., to extend the network. In certaincircumstances, one or more users can volunteer his or her device to bethe service enhancer device, provided that the device has sufficientcapabilities (e.g., processing capabilities and battery power) and isavailable (e.g., the device is idle and/or has extra processing power).In some embodiments, whereby a user's device (e.g., cell phone, laptop,tablet, etc.) functions as the service enhancer 104, the user may beprovided a financial incentive in the form of cash, credits, ordiscounted service.

The service enhancer 104 can also mitigate boundary service problems forwireless devices that are located at or near the edge of the network orfor devices that encounter interference from neighboring networks. Theboundary service problem may also occur due to coverage holes or otherareas due to physical structures (e.g., in buildings). The serviceenhancer 104 can mitigate the boundary service problem by enhancingcoverage, enhancing throughput, and increasing battery life for devices.It should also be understood that in networks that rely upon a cellularstructure, boundary service problems can arise as a result of intercellinterference (e.g., interference caused by overlapping cell coveragewithin a single operator's network) and may be mitigated through the useof the service enhancer 104.

A device may be designated as a service enhancer 104 by the network 101.The determination of which device is selected as the service enhancer104 may be done in accordance with a determination that the datadestined to the selected device is of a lower priority than the datadestined to the devices that can connected through the selected device,along with a determination that the connection of the selected device tothe network is of a sufficiently high quality. Using such adetermination, a device can be designated as a service enhancer 104 andwill then act as a hub providing enhanced service to other devices.

In one implementation, the service enhancer 104 controls which devicesare clients. When the service enhancer's client set is closed, onlyspecific devices can benefit from the service enhancer 104. The serviceenhancer 104 can also determine a subset of client devices (in closeproximity to it) that are to receive enhanced service. For example, theservice enhancer 104 may be configured to provide improved networkperformance for point of sale devices at a sporting event venue and notprovide improved network performance for a customer device, forinstance.

In one embodiment, the base station 102 sends respective control planesignals (e.g., control signaling) for the computing devices 116-118 toboth the service enhancer 104 and the respective computing devices116-118, whereas the service enhancer 104 sends only data (e.g., userplane data) to the computing devices 116-118. The computing devices116-118 may thus communicate with the service enhancer 104 inconjunction with the base station 102. This is in contrast to aconventional relay, whereby the computing devices perceive the relay asa base station. Furthermore, the service enhancer 104 may typicallycommunicate with the computing devices 116-118 using a device-to-device(D2D) link. The D2D links between the service enhancer 104 and thecomputing devices 116-118 may be in band or out of band (OOB) (e.g.,outside the regular frequency band of a mobile communications network).In contrast, a conventional relay communicates with the computingdevices using a standard access link (e.g., cellular phone transmissionscheme or a standard wireless device to base station link).

The computing devices 116-118 are “subscribed” to base station 102. Theterm subscribed means that access to the network by computing devices116-118 is controlled by base station 102. The service enhancer 104 actsas a transmit point for a small and/or specified number of devices(e.g., the computing devices 116-118). Furthermore, the service enhancer104 may often be transparent to the computing device 116-118. Incontrast with a connection through a conventional relay, a device wouldbe subscribed to a relay and the relay would typically act as a basestation for a large number or group of devices. A conventional relay isusually non-transparent to the devices that obtain network accesstherefrom. Also, the client set for the service enhancer 104 may beeither open or closed (e.g., restricted to certain devices). Incontrast, the client set for a conventional relay is always open. Theservice enhancer 104 typically is not managed by the network. Incontrast, a conventional relay is usually managed by a network.

The service enhancer 104 and a conventional relay handle control planesignaling differently. The service enhancer 104 will not necessarilyinitiate a control plane connection and typically a device will get thecontrol plane information directly from a base station (e.g., basestation 102). In contrast, a conventional relay usually initiates thecontrol plane connection and the relay usually manages control, data,and scheduling.

The service enhancer 104 is configured to communicate with the network101 which is associated with the base station 102 and the computingdevices 116-118. The communications between the service enhancer 104 andthe network 101 may be based on the same transmission mode and the samefrequency that are used to communicate between the base station 102 andthe computing devices 116-118. In some embodiments, special or specifictransmission modes (e.g., Wi-Fi, cable, etc.) may be used forcommunication between the network 101 and the service enhancer 104.

The communication between the service enhancer 104 and the computingdevices 116-118 may be a direct mobile transmission mode that can bein-band or out-band. For example, if the network operates at 2.1 Ghz,the service enhancer 104 and the computing devices 116-118 cancommunicate in the 2.1 Ghz range using the same orthogonalfrequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) protocol as the network 101.Other communication bands can be used for communication between theservice enhancer 104 and the computing devices 116-118 which may thus beout-of-band or in another band. For example, 800 MHz or 3.4 GHz are usedfor communication between the service enhancer 104 and the computingdevices 116-118 (e.g., independent of network 101). The service enhancer104 may determine which transmission modes and frequencies are used tocommunicate with computing devices 116-118. In some embodiments, anetwork component (e.g., base station 102) of network 101 may sendinformation of the available frequency bands to the service enhancer104. In some embodiments, a network component (e.g., base station 102)of network 101 may send information of the communication bands of thecomputing devices to the service enhancer 104. For example, the serviceenhancer 104 may receive the desired communication bands of one or morecomputing devices. It is noted that the use of different transmissionmodes and frequency bands, may provide better quality communicationwithout interfering with network communication. For example, the use ofanother transmission technology (e.g., code division multiple access(CDMA) instead of OFDM) may result in less interference with othernetwork communications. Communication between the service enhancer 104and the computing devices 116-118 can further be made through Multi-RAT(Multiple Radio Access Technologies). For example, the communicationbetween the service enhancer 104 and the computing devices 116-118 canbe through WiFi, while communication between the service enhancer 104and the base station 102 can be different, such as via CDMA.

The service enhancer 104 may register with the network in multiple waysbased on the configuration of the service enhancer 104. The registrationprocess may be different for the service enhancer 104, depending onwhether the service enhancer 104 is a dedicated device, user equipment,or deployed by a user or an operator. The service enhancer 104 can be adedicated terminal deployed by an end user to enhance service for atarget physical area or select target devices and the service enhancer104 can optionally be registered with the network for a closed clientset. In other embodiments, the service enhancer 104 can be a dedicatedterminal deployed by an operator that is registered by the network as alow cost alternative for coverage enhancement for hotspot service, e.g.,blind spots, etc. Embodiments may operate in tandem with a Wi-Fi hotspotdevice. The service enhancer 104 may thus be placed at location with agood access link (e.g., having a strong signal, throughput, etc.) and inthe vicinity of computing devices 116-118.

In one embodiment, the service enhancer 104 can be a dedicated terminalwith limited or no user interface functionalities. For example, theservice enhancer 104 might not have a touch screen. The service enhancer104 typically has physical (PHY)/media address control (MAC) layerprocessing to facilitate operating multiple devices at higher accessspectral efficiencies. The service enhancer 104 may have access to thepower grid, multiple antennas, a better power amplifier (PA), a highermaximum Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM), and multiple layerSpectrum Management (SM). For example, the service enhancer 104 may havehigher processing power to be able to process data for multiple devicesthat is received from the network and distributed to nearby devices(e.g., the computing devices 116-118).

In one embodiment, the service enhancer 104 is an idle user device. Inthis case, the idle user device, or equipment, has a good access link,and is temporarily volunteered (e.g., by its user) or assigned by thenetwork to function as the service enhancer 104. The user device or userequipment that functions as the service enhancer 104 communicates withthe base station 102 (e.g., via a standard air interface such asLong-Term Evolution (LTE)). An idle user device can be volunteered as aservice enhancer 104 by a user or assigned to act as a service enhancer104 by a network. The volunteering or assignment of a user device as aservice enhancer is typically a temporary assignment that is maintaineduntil the requirement or availability of the device expires. Forexample, when an idle user equipment is acting as the service enhancer104, the idle user equipment receives an assignment to temporarilyfunction as the service enhancer 104 until the need for enhanced serviceexpires. Upon expiration, the formerly idle user equipment can beswitched back to communicate directly with the base station 102.

In some embodiments, during communication with the service enhancer 104,the computing devices 116-118 stay subscribed to base station 102. Thecomputing devices 116-118 receive control signaling from base station102 or from the service enhancer 104, thereby enabling decoding of thereceived data. Sending the control signaling is initiated by basestation 102. The control signaling includes information related to howdata will be sent including, but not limited to, the coding, the time,the frequency band, and associated resources.

The service enhancer 104 acts as a temporary transmit point (TP) that istransparent to the computing devices 116-118. For example, the serviceenhancer 104 obtains data from the network and sends the data to thecomputing devices 116-118 without the computing devices 116-118 beingaware that the data is being routed through the service enhancer 104 dueto the computing devices 116-118 receiving control signals from the basestation 102 and the communications between the service enhancer 104 andthe computing devices 116-118 being in-band. Alternatively, the linkbetween the service enhancer 104 and the computing devices 116-118 canbe implemented as a device-to-device (D2D) link. The D2D link canoptionally utilize a transmission scheme different than the transmissionscheme of the network 101 associated with base station 102. For example,D2D link may be in-band, out-band, or multi-RAT, as described herein.

In other embodiments, the service enhancer 104 acts as a cooperativedelegate to the network and thereby enables collaborative processing andcommunication. The service enhancer 104 signals the network via the basestation 102 to inform the network that one or more computing devices(e.g., the computing devices 116-118) are going to cooperate and theservice enhancer 104 will coordinate delegation. The network thenoptimizes the data for sending to the service enhancer 104 fordelegation. The service enhancer 104 can then coordinate cooperationbetween the computing devices 116-118. The control signaling for how,when, and where the data will be sent to the computing devices is sentfrom the base station 102 directly to the computing devices 116-118 orto the computing devices 116-118 via the service enhancer 104.

The data transmission can be network dependent. For example, the userequipment or computing device control signaling is initiated by the basestation 102 and sent directly from the base station 102 to the computingdevices 116-118. The base station may thus control where, when, and howthe data is sent to the computing device, while the service enhancer 104can act as a reflector or rerouter of data from the base station 102.

In other embodiments, data transmission is network assisted, whereby thecontrol signaling is initiated by the base station 102 but may beoverridden by the service enhancer 104. For example, the base station102 indicates that some particular data should be sent at a particulartime and the service enhancer 104 responds by indicating that there istoo much traffic or that the coding is insufficient, so the rate oftransmission should be reduced to allow proper decoding. As anotherexample, the service enhancer 104 overrides a control signal from thebase station 102 to send data and responds with a message that datashould not be sent at this time or should be sent through another codingscheme.

In other embodiments, the control signaling of the computing device isinitiated by the service enhancer 104 while the base station 102 assistsor supervises the connection setup and user-plane offload betweenservice enhancer 104 and the computing device. For example, the basestation 102 may send an indication to the service enhancer 104 to senddata to a particular computing device at a particular time with aparticular resource coding. The service enhancer 104 acknowledges andperforms accordingly. Supervision by the base station 102 is performedbased on an overview of the network and each of the service enhancers inthe network.

In another embodiment, the data transmission can also be networkindependent. In this case, the control signaling of the computingdevices are initiated by the service enhancer 104. The service enhancer104 may thus determine how, where, which transmission scheme, and whichfrequency band, should be used to communicate between itself and acomputing device without any interference or intervention by thenetwork. Once the connection between the computing device and theservice enhancer 104 is setup, the computing device and the serviceenhancer 104 inform the base station 102 of the frequency band andcommunication scheme that will be used for communication.

In one embodiment, the service enhancer 104 may cease to provide datacommunication to the computing devices 116-118 and can provide anassociated notification to the computing devices 116-118. The serviceenhancer 104 sends a notification indicating that the service enhanceris no longer going to provide data communications to the computingdevices 116-118. Upon receiving the notification, the computing devices116-118 can switch back to communicating directly with base station 102,e.g. unassisted by the service enhancer 104, (or alternatively canconnect to a different service enhancer). The computing devices 116-118may set a timer, and if no communications are received from the serviceenhancer 104, upon expiration of the timer, the computing devicescontinue communicating directly with the base station 102. The computingdevices 116-118 can adjust their feedback to take into considerationassistance from the service enhancer 104. For example, a channel qualityindicator (CQI) report could be a combined effective CQI report so thatthe base station 102 can continue its operation in a transparent mode.

With reference to FIGS. 2-11, flowcharts 200-1100 illustrate examplefunctions used by various embodiments of the present invention foridentifying electronic documents. Although specific function blocks(“blocks”) are disclosed in flowcharts 200-1100, such steps areexemplary. That is, embodiments are well suited to performing variousother blocks or variations of the blocks recited in flowcharts 200-1100.It is appreciated that the blocks in flowcharts 200-1100 can beperformed in an order different than presented, and that not all of theblocks in flowcharts 200-1100 need be performed.

FIG. 2 shows an exemplary network assisted setup process of a serviceenhancer deployed by an end-user, in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present invention. FIG. 2 depicts a process 200 that is performed bya service enhancer in joining a network and thereby enhancing servicefor one or more pieces of user equipment or devices. Process 200 can beperformed by a service enhancer that is a dedicated terminal or devicethat is deployed by an end user, and where the setup is networkassisted. For example, the end user may have acquired the serviceenhancer for coverage assistance.

At block 202, the service enhancer is selected. At block 204, theservice enhancer is deployed. The service enhancer is deployed orphysically placed at a location determined by the end user. Thedeployment further includes connecting the service enhancer to a powersource and/or turning on or otherwise activating the service enhancer.For example, the service enhancer can be deployed at a location within abuilding where there is not good coverage. As another example, theservice enhancer can be installed in a location where there are manydevices in contention for limited network resources. Further, theservice enhancer may be deployed in mobile locations (e.g., a car, atrain, a portable container, etc.).

The service enhancer is installed at a location based on one or moreother devices having weak or no signal coverage. For example, theservice enhancer can be located at a location having a reasonably strongconnection to a wireless network while being near a deadzone and therebyable to enhance service there. A deadzone is a coverage hole, whereservice is very weak or nonexistent.

At block 206, a registration request is sent. The registration requestis part of a handshaking process that is performed before the serviceenhancer is able to communicate with particular devices on the network.The service enhancer sends a registration request to the networkincluding, but not limited to, its capabilities. In one embodiment, theservice enhancer announces its own presence. For example, theregistration request may include the communication bands, communicationschemes, modulation, and transmission technologies that can be used bythe service enhancer and the network. The service enhancer can reportcapabilities including: frequency band; processing power (e.g., CPUmodel and CPU speed); power source and level (e.g., percent of batteryremaining or whether the service enhancer is coupled to an electricalsocket); and transmission coding schemes.

At block 208, an acknowledgment is received. The network (e.g., the basestation 102) sends the acknowledgment to the service enhanceracknowledging that the service enhancer will be functioning in thenetwork. For example, the network may acknowledge the service enhanceras not being a cellular telephone but rather as a device that willprovide service to one or more cell phones.

At block 210, information associated with a client set is optionallysent. The service enhancer may send a closed client set or a discoveredset of neighboring devices to the network. For example, the serviceenhancer may report that there are five cell phones or laptopsproximately located relative to the service enhancer, and uniqueidentifiers (e.g., mobile equipment identifier (MEID)) associated witheach device are reported. The service enhancer further can report thatthe five cell phones or laptops currently have weak or no network signaland that the service enhancer will be able to provide improved serviceaccess to each of the devices. The service enhancer is able todetermine, independent of the network, that the service enhancer has astrong signal channel to the five cell phones or laptops, whereas fivecell phones or laptops have a weak signal channel to the network.

At block 212, configuration information is received. The configurationinformation is received by a service enhancer from a base station orother part of the network which includes, but is not limited to, thefrequency band and coding scheme that will be used to send data from thebase station to the service enhancer. The base station, network, etc.,may send the service enhancer a unique ID to be used so that the serviceenhancer can be recognized in the future.

At block 214, service enhancer and client links are setup. The serviceenhancer sends frequency band and coding scheme architecture to clientdevices (e.g., TUEs, the computing devices 116-118, etc.) that will beused to communicate with one or more clients. The clients receive thefrequency band and coding scheme information and acknowledge theinformation, thereby allowing the service enhancer and client links tobe established.

At block 216, information associated with the service enhancer and theclient links is sent. The information associated with the serviceenhancer and the client links includes one or more indicators of thelinks established between the service enhancer and the clients. Theinformation associated with the service enhancer and the client links issent to the network.

At block 218, data is communicated. Downlink data is communicated fromthe base station through the service enhancer to a client. Uplink datafrom a client is communicated from a client to the base station throughthe service enhancer. The data is processed by the service enhancerprior to sending to a client and eventually to the network.

FIG. 3 shows an exemplary process 300 performed by a network componentduring network assisted setup of a service enhancer deployed by anend-user, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.FIG. 3 depicts a process 300 that is performed by a base station orother network component during the setup of a service enhancer. Theprocess 300 is generally performed by one or more network components inconjunction with a service enhancer performing process 200.

At block 302, a registration request is received at a base station orother network component from a service enhancer. The registrationrequest includes the capabilities of the service enhancer, such assupported communication schemes.

At block 304, a determination as to whether to register the serviceenhancer with the network is made. A network component (e.g., basestation) determines whether the service enhancer will be registered andused to improve service to one or more devices. The registration isbased on the need for, and capabilities of, the service enhancer. If theservice enhancer is to be registered, block 306 is performed. If theservice enhancer is not registered, block 320 is performed.

At block 320, a denial of the registration request is sent. The serviceenhancer is not permitted to register and communicate with the networkas a service enhancer. For example, if the service enhancer does nothave sufficient capabilities (e.g., processing power, battery life,communications signal strength, and/or security), a network componentcan send a denial of the registration request.

At block 306, an acknowledgement is sent which approves the registrationrequest that was sent by the service enhancer and approves the serviceenhancer to function as a service enhancer with the network.

At block 308, information associated with a client set is received. Theinformation includes identifiers of the client devices in the client setof the service enhancer.

At block 310, configuration information is sent. The configurationinformation is determined by one or more network components and includesconfiguration information for the service enhancer to use incommunicating with a base station or other network components.

At block 312, information associated with link establishment isreceived. The information associated with the link establishmentincludes information associated with links between a service enhancerand one or more clients.

At block 314, data is communicated to the service enhancer and theclient. Control plane information can be communicated directly to theclient while other data communications are communicated to the clientthrough the service enhancer.

FIG. 4 shows an exemplary network independent setup process 400 of aservice enhancer deployed by an end-user, in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 depicts a process 400 thatis performed by a service enhancer in joining a network and enhancingservice for one or more pieces of user equipment or devices. The process400 is performed by a service enhancer that can be a dedicated terminalor device that is deployed by an end user and the setup is networkindependent. For example, the end user may have acquired the serviceenhancer.

At block 402, the service enhancer is deployed or physically placed at alocation determined by the end user. The service enhancer may have beenpurchased by the end user, for instance, off the shelf, and thendeployed at a proper location. The deployment further includes couplingthe service enhancer to a power source and/or turning on or activatingthe service enhancer. For example, the service enhancer is deployed at alocation within a building where there is poor coverage. As anotherexample, the service enhancer is installed in a location where there aremany devices such that the devices are in contention for limited networkresources. The service enhancer may further be deployed in a mobilelocation (e.g., a car, a train, a portable container, etc.). The serviceenhancer is installed at a location based on one or more other deviceshaving a weak or no signal coverage.

At block 404, a registration request is sent and is part of ahandshaking process that is performed before the service enhancer isable to communicate with particular devices on the network. The serviceenhancer announces its presence and sends a registration request to thenetwork where the registration includes, but is not limited to, itscapabilities. For example, the registration request may include thecommunication bands, communication schemes, modulation, and transmissiontechnologies that can be used for communication with the serviceenhancer and the network. The service enhancer may report capabilitiesincluding frequency band, processing power, power source and level, andtransmission coding schemes.

At block 406, an acknowledgement is received. The network sends anacknowledgment to the service enhancer acknowledging that the serviceenhancer will be functioning in the network. In some embodiments,configuration information for the service enhancer is received inaddition to the acknowledgment. The configuration may include thetransmission scheme (e.g., frequency band) and coding scheme that anetwork component (e.g., base station) will use to communicate with theservice enhancer.

At block 408, the service enhancer sends a broadcast message to one ormore neighboring devices with an indicator that the service enhancer isavailable to provide service enhancement.

At block 410, the service enhancer receives one or more responses fromone or more neighboring devices that indicate that one or moreneighboring devices would like to communicate with the network throughthe service enhancer. The response thereby allows the neighboring deviceto be discovered by the service enhancer.

At block 412, service enhancer and client links are setup. The clientresponds that it can use the services of the service enhancer and sharesinformation enabling the set up of the service enhancer and clientlinks. The information may include a unique identifier of the clientwhich enables the service enhancer to access communications for theclient and communication scheme information.

At block 414, information associated with the service enhancer andclient links is sent. The information associated with the serviceenhancer and the client links includes one or more indicators of thelinks established between the service enhancer and the clients. Theinformation associated with the service enhancer and the client links issent to the network.

At block 416, data is communicated between the service enhancer, theclient, and the network. Downlink data is communicated from the basestation through the service enhancer to a client. Uplink data from aclient is communicated from a client to the base station through theservice enhancer.

At block 418, information is sent to the client. In some embodiments,the service enhancer sends information to the client. The informationmay include a soft bit, raw in-phase (I) data, quadrature (Q) data, anddecoded data. In some embodiments, the client may receive data only fromthe service enhancer. In some embodiments, data from the base stationmay be received at the client from the base station and from the serviceenhancer. The service enhancer may process data from the base station(e.g., decode the data) and send the processed data to the client. Theclient combines downlink or downstream information from the serviceenhancer and the base station. The client may thus have a copy of thedata from the service enhancer and the base station. The copies may notbe perfect (e.g., include one or more errors) and the client may thuscompare and merge the data to obtain the correct data.

FIG. 5 shows an exemplary process 500 performed by a network componentduring network independent setup of a service enhancer deployed by anend-user, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.FIG. 5 depicts a process 500 that is performed by a base station orother network component (e.g., backbone server, wireless device, etc.)during the setup of a service enhancer. The process 500 is generallyperformed by one or more network components in conjunction with aservice enhancer performing process 400.

At block 502, a registration request is received at a base station orother network component from a service enhancer. The registrationrequest includes the capabilities of the service enhancer, as describedherein.

At block 504, a determination as to whether to register the serviceenhancer with the network is made. In some embodiments, a networkcomponent (e.g., base station) may determine whether the serviceenhancer will be registered and used to improve service to one or moredevices. If the service enhancer is to be registered, block 506 isperformed. If the service enhancer is not to be registered, block 520 isperformed.

At block 520, a denial of the registration request is sent and theservice enhancer is not permitted to register and communicate with thenetwork as a service enhancer. For example, if the service enhancer doesnot have sufficient capabilities (e.g., processing power, battery life,communication signal strength, and/or security), a network componentsends a denial of the registration request.

At block 506, an acknowledgement is sent. The acknowledgement approvesthe registration request that was sent by the service enhancer.

At block 508, configuration information is sent. The configurationinformation is determined by one or more network components and includesconfiguration information for the service enhancer to use incommunicating with a base station or other network components.

At block 510, information associated with link establishment isreceived. The information associated with link establishment includesinformation associated with links between a service enhancer and one ormore clients.

At block 512, data is communicated to the service enhancer and theclient. Control plane information is communicated directly to the clientwhile data communications are communicated to the client through theservice enhancer.

At block 514, information is received from the service enhancer. Theinformation is sent to the base station or other network componentand/or client. The service enhancer sends information to the client andthe base station. The client may combine downlink or downstreaminformation from the service enhancer and the base station. Theinformation may include a soft bit, raw in-phase (I) data, quadrature(Q) data, and decoded data.

FIG. 6 shows an exemplary setup process 600 of a service enhancerdeployed by an operator, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention. FIG. 6 depicts a process 600 that is performed by a serviceenhancer deployed by a network operator (e.g., service provideremployee), in joining a network and enhancing service for one or morepieces of user equipment or devices. The process 600 is performed by aservice enhancer that is a dedicated terminal or device that is deployedby an operator and the setup can be network assisted or networkindependent.

At block 602, a service enhancer is deployed or physically situated by anetwork operator at a location that is determined based on the need forthe service enhancer. The deployment further includes coupling theservice enhancer to a power source and/or turning on or activating theservice enhancer. For example, the service enhancer is deployed at alocation within a building where there is weak network coverage. Asanother example, the service enhancer is installed in a location wherethere are many devices such that the devices are in contention forlimited network resources. The service enhancer may also be deployed inmobile location (e.g., a vehicle at a sporting event, a train, etc.).

At block 604, a registration request is sent. The registration requestis part of a handshaking process that is performed before the serviceenhancer is able to communicate with particular devices on the network.The service enhancer announces its own presence and the service enhancersends a registration request, including its capabilities, to thenetwork. For example, the registration request may include thecommunication bands, communication schemes, modulation, transmissiontechnologies, etc., that can be used to communicate with the serviceenhancer and the network.

At block 606, an acknowledgment is received. The network sends anacknowledgment to the service enhancer acknowledging that the serviceenhancer will be functioning in the network at a service enhancer. Forexample, the network may acknowledge the service enhancer as notfunctioning as a cellular telephone, but rather, as a device that willprovide service to one or more cell phones.

At block 608, information associated with a client set is optionallysent. The service enhancer sends a closed client set or a discovered setof neighboring devices to the network. For example, the service enhancerreports that there are five cell phones or laptops proximately locatedrelative to the service enhancer and the service enhancer may reportunique identifiers (e.g., mobile equipment identifier (MEID)) associatedwith each device. The service enhancer may further report that the fivecell phones or laptops currently have weak or no network signal and thatthe service enhancer will be able to provide improved service access toeach of the devices. The service enhancer is able to determine,independent of the network, that the service enhancer has a strongsignal channel to the five cell phones or laptops, whereas the five cellphones or laptops have a weak signal channel to the network.

At block 610, configuration information is received. The configurationinformation is received by a service enhancer from a base station orother part of the network which includes the frequency band and codingscheme that will be used to send data from the base station to theservice enhancer. The base station sends the service enhancer a uniqueidentifier (ID) to be used so that the service enhancer can berecognized in the future.

At block 612, service enhancer and client links are setup. The serviceenhancer sends frequency band and coding scheme architecture informationto client devices that will be used to communicate with one or moreclients. The clients may receive the frequency band and coding schemeinformation and acknowledge the information thereby allowing the serviceenhancer and client links to be established.

At block 614, information associated with the service enhancer and theclient links is sent. The information associated with the serviceenhancer and the client links includes one or more indicators of thelinks established between the service enhancer and the clients. Theinformation associated with the service enhancer and the client links issent to the network.

At block 616, data is communicated. Downlink data is communicated fromthe base station through the service enhancer to a client. Uplink datafrom a client is communicated from a client to the base station throughthe service enhancer. The data is processed by the service enhancerprior to sending the data to a client and to the network.

FIG. 7 shows an exemplary process 700 performed by a network componentduring setup of a service enhancer deployed by an operator, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 depicts aprocess 700 that is performed by a base station or other networkcomponent during the setup of a service enhancer. The process 700 isperformed generally by one or more network components in conjunctionwith a service enhancer and the setup can be network assisted or networkindependent.

At block 702, a need for a service enhancer is determined by a networkcomponent, and may be based on reports of service issues, problematicconnectivity, etc. The need for a service enhancer may further bedetermined based on a dead-zone report, a hotspot (e.g., an area wherethere will be many devices at some point in time), energy savingsrequirements, coverage extensions, etc. For example, a base station maydetermine there are one or more devices at the edge of the network basedon detected weak signals or connections to the one or more devices. Theweak connections to the one or more devices shorten their respectivebattery life and thus the need for a service enhancer can be based on aninterest to preserve battery life instead of spending energy trying toobtain a better signal.

At block 704, an indicator for a service enhancer is sent to a system,e.g., having a graphical user interface, to allow an operator to beinformed of the need for a service enhancer as well as the locationwhere the service enhancer is needed.

At block 706, a registration request is received at a base station orother network component from a service enhancer that has been deployed.The registration request may include the capabilities including thecommunication scheme supported by the service enhancer, as describedherein.

At block 708, an acknowledgement is sent. The acknowledgement approvesthe registration request that was sent by the service enhancer andapproves the service enhancer to function as service enhancer with thenetwork.

At block 710, information associated with a client set is received. Theinformation includes identifiers of the clients in the client set of theservice enhancer.

At block 712, configuration information is sent. The configurationinformation is determined by one or more network components and includesconfiguration information for the service enhancer to use incommunicating with a base station or other network components.

At block 714, information associated with link establishment isreceived. The information associated with link establishment includesinformation associated with links between a service enhancer and one ormore clients.

At block 716, data is communicated to the service enhancer and theclient. In some embodiments, control plane information is communicateddirectly to the client whereas other data communications arecommunicated to the client through the service enhancer.

FIG. 8 shows an exemplary setup process 800 of a device volunteered tofunction as a service enhancer, in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention. FIG. 8 depicts a process 800 that is performed bydevice that has been volunteered to function as a service enhancer andis going to join a network as a service enhancer and enhance service forone or more pieces of user equipment or devices. The process 800 can beperformed by a user's smart phone, cell phone, laptop, tablet, etc., andthe setup can be network assisted or network independent.

At block 802, a setting is configured for operating as a serviceenhancer. In some embodiments, a user may configure a setting on his orher device to be used by the network as a service enhancer. For example,the setting may involve using the user equipment as service enhancerwhen the user equipment is idle. The setting may be available based on athreshold, e.g., the phone having processing power and/or battery lifeabove a threshold.

At block 804, an indication of the device being operable to act asservice enhancer is sent. The indication also indicates that the userequipment has been volunteered to act as a service enhancer at aspecific time, upon a condition (e.g., being idle), and at a particularlocation, as determined by the network. The indicator is used togenerate a list of devices that may act as service enhancers.

At block 806, a request is received for the device to act as a serviceenhancer. In some embodiments, a device receives a broadcast request toact as a service enhancer based on the service enhancer being in anidentified region (e.g., a deadzone, near a deadzone, or an area withmany wireless devices, etc.).

At block 808, availability information is sent. In some embodiments, adevice may indicate that it is available and able to act (e.g.,volunteered) as a service enhancer.

At block 810, testing data is received and is used to evaluate theusefulness of one or more volunteered devices on a variety of metrics,including but not limited to, availability, capabilities, distance todevices that could benefit from enhanced service, and security measures,etc.

At block 812, a response to the testing data is sent. The response mayinclude the capabilities, signal strength, distance to other devices,and security measures, etc., of the device that has been volunteered toact as a service enhancer.

At block 814, an acknowledgement is received and may indicate that anetwork component (e.g., base station) has accepted a user equipment toact as a service enhancer. The network sends an acknowledgment to theservice enhancer acknowledging that the service enhancer will befunctioning in the network at a service enhancer. For example, thenetwork may acknowledge the service enhancer as not being a cellulartelephone but rather is a device that will provide service to one ormore cell phones.

At block 816, information associated with a client set is optionallysent. The service enhancer may send a closed client set or a discoveredset of neighboring devices to the network. For example, the serviceenhancer may report that there are five cell phones or laptopsproximately located relative to the service enhancer and the serviceenhancer may report unique identifiers (e.g., mobile equipmentidentifier (MEID)) associated with each device. The service enhancer mayfurther report that the five cell phones or laptops currently have weakor no network signal and that the service enhancer will be able toprovide improved service access to each of the devices. The serviceenhancer is able to determine, independent of the network, that it has astrong signal channel to the five cell phones or laptops, while fivecell phones or laptops have a weak signal channel to the network.

At block 818, configuration information is received. The configurationinformation is received by a service enhancer from a base station orother part of the network which includes the frequency band and codingscheme that will be used to send data from the base station to theservice enhancer. The base station, network, etc., may send the serviceenhancer a unique identifier (ID) so that the service enhancer can berecognized in the future.

At block 820, service enhancer and client links are setup. The serviceenhancer sends frequency band and coding scheme architecture to clientdevices that will be used to communicate with one or more clients. Theclients may receive the frequency band and coding scheme information andacknowledge the information thereby allowing the service enhancer andclient links to be established.

At block 822, information associated with the service enhancer and theclient links is sent. The information associated with the serviceenhancer and the client links may include one or more indicators of thelinks established between the service enhancer and the clients. Theinformation associated with the service enhancer and client links issent to the network.

At block 824, data is communicated. Downlink data is communicated fromthe base station through the service enhancer to a client. Uplink datafrom a client is communicated from a client to the base station throughthe service enhancer. The data is processed by the service enhancerprior to sending to a client and to the network.

The base station may provide a respective indicator for each portion ofdata that will go to respective devices that are receiving data from theservice enhancer. The device acting as the service enhancer sends one ormore messages including its unique identifier and communication scheme(e.g., frequency band, transmission scheme, etc.) to each of the devicesreceiving service via the service enhancer. In some embodiments, ahandshaking process is performed to setup the communication between thedevice acting as a service enhancer and the one or more devices gettingservice therefrom. In some embodiments, two devices that are performingservice enhancer functions may communicate with each other viadevice-to-device (D2D) communication.

FIG. 9 shows an exemplary process 900 performed by a network componentduring setup of a device volunteered to function as a service enhancer,in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Process 900is performed by a base station or other network component during thesetup of a user equipment as a service enhancer. The process 900 isgenerally performed in conjunction with a user's smart phone, cellphone, laptop, tablet, etc., performing process 800 and the setup can benetwork assisted or network independent.

At block 902, a need for a service enhancer is determined, e.g., inaccordance with the description of block 702.

At block 904, an indicator for a service enhancer is sent. The indicatorcan be sent to a system including a graphical user interface to allow anoperator to be informed of the need for a service enhancer, the locationwhere the service enhancer is needed, etc.

At block 906, an availability indicator is received. The availabilityindicator is received from a device and indicates that the device isavailable and able (e.g., has been volunteered) to act as a serviceenhancer.

At block 908, testing data is sent. The testing data is used to evaluatethe usefulness of one or more volunteered devices on a variety ofmetrics, including but not limited to, good access, capabilities (e.g.,processing power, supported methods of communication, etc.), distance todevices that could benefit from enhanced service, and security measures(e.g., that security measures are up to date), etc.

At block 910, a response to the testing data is received. The responseto the testing data may include the capabilities, signal strength,distance to other device, security measures, etc., of the device thathas been volunteered to act as a service enhancer.

At block 912, an acknowledgement and acceptance of the service enhanceris sent. In some embodiments, a network component may select among theavailable devices that have been volunteered to act as a serviceenhancer (e.g., based on the response to the testing data for particulardevice). The acknowledgement and acceptance of the service enhancer aresent to the selected device that was volunteered to act as a serviceenhancer. For example, if two devices that have been volunteered to actas a service enhancer are close to a set of devices in need of serviceenhancement, the network may select one of the two devices that havebeen volunteered to act as a service enhancer.

At block 914, information associated with a client set is received. Theinformation may include identifiers of one or more devices (e.g.,devices near the service enhancer) client set of the service enhancer.

At block 916, configuration information is sent. The configurationinformation is determined by one or more network components and includesconfiguration information for the service enhancer to use incommunicating with a base station or other network components.

At block 918, information associated with link establishment isreceived. The information associated with link establishment may includeinformation associated with links between a service enhancer and one ormore clients.

At block 920, data is communicated to the service enhancer and theclient. In some embodiments, control plane information is communicateddirectly to the client while other data communications are communicatedto the client through the service enhancer.

FIG. 10 shows an exemplary setup process 1000 of a device assigned bythe network to function as a service enhancer, in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention. Process 1000 is performed by devicethat has been assigned to function as a service enhancer (e.g., theservice enhancer 104) by a network component (e.g., base station 102)and is going to join a network to enhance service for one or more piecesof user equipment or devices. The process 1000 can be performed by auser's smart phone, cell phone, laptop, tablet, etc., and the setup canbe network assisted or network independent.

At block 1002, a request to act as a service enhancer is received. Therequest is received at a device that has capabilities determined by oneor more network components to be sufficient to act as a serviceenhancer. In some embodiments, a device may receive a request to act asa service enhancer based on the service enhancer being in an identifiedregion (e.g., a deadzone, near a deadzone, or an area with many wirelessdevices, etc.).

At block 1004, an acknowledgment is sent to one or more networkcomponents and includes an indicator that the device is available to actas a service enhancer.

At block 1006, an assignment indicator is received. The assignmentindicator may indicate that a device has been selected to be assigned tofunction as a service enhancer.

At block 1008, information associated with a client set is optionallysent. The service enhancer may send a closed client set or a discoveredset of neighboring devices to the network. For example, the serviceenhancer may report that there are five cell phones or laptopsproximately located relative to the service enhancer and the serviceenhancer may report unique identifiers (e.g., mobile equipmentidentifier (MEID)) associated with each device. The service enhancer mayfurther report that the five cell phones or laptops currently have weakor no network signal and that the service enhancer will be able toprovide improved service access to each of the devices. The serviceenhancer is able to determine, independent of the network, that theservice enhancer has a strong signal channel to the five cell phones orlaptops, while five cell phones or laptops have a weak signal channel tothe network.

At block 1010, configuration information is received. The configurationinformation is received by a service enhancer from a base station orother part of the network which includes the frequency band and codingscheme that will be used to send data from the base station to theservice enhancer. The base station, network, etc., may send the serviceenhancer a unique identifier (ID) so that the service enhancer can berecognized in the future.

At block 1012, service enhancer and client links are setup. The serviceenhancer sends frequency band and coding scheme architecture to clientdevice (e.g., TUEs, the computing devices 116-118, etc.) that will beused to communicate with one or more clients (e.g., cell phones,laptops, tablets, etc.). The clients may receive the frequency band andcoding scheme information and acknowledge the information therebyallowing the service enhancer and client links to be established.

At block 1014, information associated with the service enhancer and theclient links is sent. The information associated with the serviceenhancer and the client links may include one or more indicators of thelinks established between the service enhancer and the clients. Theinformation associated with the service enhancer and the client links issent to the network (e.g., base station).

At block 1016, data is communicated. Downlink data may communicate fromthe base station through the service enhancer to a client. Uplink datafrom a client is communicated from a client to the base station throughthe service enhancer. The data is processed (e.g., decoded, transformed,etc.) by the service enhancer prior to sending to a client and to thenetwork.

The base station may provide a respective indicator for each portion ofdata that will go to respective devices that are receiving data from theservice enhancer. The device acting as the service enhancer sends one ormore messages including its unique identifier and communication scheme(e.g., frequency band, transmission scheme, etc.) to each of the devicesreceiving service via the service enhancer. In some embodiments, ahandshaking process is performed to setup the communication between thedevice acting as a service enhancer and the one or more devices gettingservice from the service enhancer. In some embodiments, two devices thatare performing service enhancer functions may communicate with eachother via device-to-device (D2D) communication.

FIG. 11 shows an exemplary process 1100 performed by a network componentduring setup of a device assigned by the network to function as aservice enhancer, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention. Process 1100 is performed by a base station (e.g., basestation 102) or other network component (e.g., backbone server, backhaulserver, wireless device, etc.) during the setup and assignment of apiece of user equipment to function as a service enhancer (e.g., theservice enhancer 104). The process 1100 is generally performed inconjunction with a user's smart phone, cell phone, laptop, tablet, etc.,performing process 1000 and the setup can be network assisted or networkindependent.

At block 1102, a list of possible service enhancers is maintained. Insome embodiments, one or more network components may maintain a list ofpotential temporary devices that can act as service enhancers. Forexample, one or more network components may track user equipment withstrong signal connections, capabilities, location, etc.

At block 1104, a need for a service enhancer is determined in accordancewith the description of block 702.

At block 1106, a device to act as a service enhancer is selected and arequest is sent to the device. In some embodiments, one or more devicesare selected based on location, connection signal strength, andcapabilities, etc., as described herein.

At block 1108, an acknowledgement of service enhancer availability isreceived. The acknowledgment may indicate that the device is availableto act as a service enhancer in response to the request.

At block 1110, a device assignment is sent to the device assigned tofunction as a service enhancer and includes an indication that thedevice has been assigned to function as a service enhancer.

At block 1112, information associated with a client set is received. Theinformation may include identifiers of one or more devices (e.g.,devices near the service enhancer) as the client set of the serviceenhancer.

At block 1114, configuration information is sent and is determined byone or more network components and includes information for the serviceenhancer to use in communicating with a base station or other networkcomponents.

At block 1116, information associated with link establishment isreceived. The information associated with link establishment may includeinformation associated with links between a service enhancer and one ormore clients.

At block 1118, data is communicated to the service enhancer and theclient. In some embodiments, control plane information is communicateddirectly to the client while other data communications are communicatedto the client through the service enhancer.

FIG. 12 shows exemplary communication signals associated with networkassisted service enhancer discovery and offloading processes inaccordance with various embodiments of the present invention. Exemplarycommunications diagram 1200 includes a client 1202 (e.g., the computingdevice 116, the computing device 118, etc.), a service enhancer 1204(e.g., the service enhancer 104), and a base station 1206 (e.g., thebase station 102). FIG. 12 depicts exemplary communications between theclient 1202, the service enhancer 1204, and the base station 1206. Theclient 1202 can be a device having wireless connectivity (e.g., smartphone, cell phone, laptop, tablet, etc.) that has a limited signalstrength when communicating over a network associated with base station1206. The service enhancer 1204 is a specialized device configured forexpanding service that has been volunteered as described herein.

The base station 1206 sends notification 1220 to client 1202. Thenotification 1220 may include an indicator of the presence of theservice enhancer 1204 in the vicinity of the client 1202 and/or arequest that the client 1202 offload communications (e.g., user planecommunication) to the service enhancer 1204. The client 1202 may thensend request 1230 to the service enhancer 1204 to provide service (e.g.,data communications) to the client 1202. The service enhancer 1204 maythen send response 1232 including an indication of acceptance to provideservice to the client 1202. The service enhancer 1204 may thenoptionally send a notification 1234 to base station 1206 requesting thatcommunications be offloaded to the service enhancer 1204 and alsorequesting that data for the client 1202 be sent to the service enhancer1204. The client 1202 may optionally send notification 1240 to the basestation 1206 requesting communications offload to the service enhancer1204 and requesting that data for the client 1202 be sent to the serviceenhancer 1204. The base station 1206 may then send data 1236 (for client1202) to the service enhancer 1204. The service enhancer 1204 then sendsdata 1236 (as data 1238) to client 1202. The service enhancer 1204 maymodify (e.g., re-encode) data 1236 for sending to the client 1202.

The client 1202 is subscribed to the base station 1206. The base station1206 sends control plane information for the client 1202 to both theservice enhancer 1204 and the client 1202. The service enhancer 1204 maysend only data to the client 1202.

FIG. 13 shows exemplary communications associated with networkindependent service enhancer discovery and offloading processes, inaccordance with various embodiments. Exemplary communications diagram1300 includes a client 1302 (e.g., the computing device 116, thecomputing device 118, etc.), a service enhancer 1304 (e.g., the serviceenhancer 104), and a base station 1306 (e.g., base station 102). FIG. 13depicts exemplary communications between the client 1302, the serviceenhancer 1304, and the base station 1306. The client 1302 is a devicewith wireless connectivity (e.g., smart phone, cell phone, laptop,tablet, etc.) that has a limited signal and communication strength witha network associated with base station 1306. The service enhancer 1304is a specialized device configured for expanding service that has beenvolunteered.

The service enhancer 1304 sends beacon 1330 to the client 1302. Thebeacon 1330 includes an indicator that the service enhancer 1304 isavailable to provide service (e.g., improved communications) to devicesproximately located near the service enhancer 1304. The client 1302identifies the beacon 1330 and determines whether to respond to thebeacon 1330 and the associated response (e.g., accepting or rejectingthe opportunity to receive data via the service enhancer 1304). Theclient 1302 may then send request 1332 which requests data for theclient 1302 be sent from the service enhancer 1304.

The service enhancer may then send response 1332 including an indicationof acceptance of the request 1330. The service enhancer 1304 then sendsresponse 1334 accepting the request from client 1302. The serviceenhancer 1304 may then optionally send notification 1336 to base station1306 requesting the offloading of communications to the service enhancer1304 and requesting that data for the client 1302 be sent to the serviceenhancer 1304. The client 1302 may optionally send notification 1342 tobase station 1306 requesting the offloading of communications to theservice enhancer 1304 and requesting that data for the client 1302 besent to the service enhancer 1304. The base station 1306 may then senddata 1338 (which is for client 1302) to the service enhancer 1304. Theservice enhancer 1304 then sends data 1338 (as data 1340) to client1302. The service enhancer 1304 may modify (e.g., re-encode) data 1338for sending to the client 1302.

The client 1302 is subscribed to the base station 1306. The serviceenhancer 1304 discovery process is performed at the client 1302independently from the base station 1306. The control plane and userplane information from the base station 1306 is received at the client1302 from the service enhancer 1304 which receives the control plane andthe user plane from the base station 1306.

FIG. 14 shows exemplary communications associated with network assistedservice enhancer discovery and offloading processes, in accordance withvarious embodiments. Exemplary communications diagram 1400 includes aclient 1402 (e.g., the computing device 116, the computing device 118,etc.), a service enhancer 1404 (e.g., the service enhancer 104), and abase station 1406 (e.g., base station 102). FIG. 14 depicts exemplarycommunications between the client 1402, the service enhancer 1404, andthe base station 1406 during network assisted discovery and user planeoffloading to service enhancer 1404. The client 1402 is a device withwireless connectivity (e.g., smart phone, cell phone, laptop, tablet,etc.) that has a limited signal and communication strength over anetwork associated with the base station 1404. The service enhancer 1404is a specialized device configured for expanding service or a user'sequipment that has been volunteered or assigned to function as a serviceenhancer, as described herein.

The base station 1406 sends notification 1420 to client 1402. Thenotification 1420 may include an indicator of the presence of theservice enhancer 1404 in the vicinity of the client 1402. The serviceenhancer 1404 sends beacon 1430 to the client 1402. The beacon 1430includes an indicator that the service enhancer 1404 is available toprovide service (e.g., improved communications) to devices proximatelylocated to the service enhancer 1404. The client 1402 identifies thebeacon 1430 and determines whether to respond to the beacon 1430 and theassociated response (e.g., accepting or rejecting the opportunity toreceive data via the service enhancer 1404). The client 1402 may thensend request 1432 which requests data for the client 1402 be sent fromthe service enhancer 1404.

The service enhancer may then send response 1434 including an indicationof acceptance of the request 1432. The service enhancer 1404 may thenoptionally send notification 1436 to base station 1406 requesting theoffloading of communications to the service enhancer 1404 and requestingthat data for the client 1402 be sent to the service enhancer 1404. Theclient 1402 may optionally send notification 1442 to base station 1406requesting the offloading of communications to the service enhancer 1404and requesting that data for the client 1402 be sent to the serviceenhancer 1404. The base station 1406 may then send data 1438 (which isfor client 1402) to the service enhancer 1404. The service enhancer 1404then sends data 1438 (as data 1440) to client 1402. The service enhancer1404 may modify (e.g., re-encode) data 1438 for sending to the client1402.

The client 1402 is subscribed to the base station 1406. The base station1406 sends control plane and user plane information that is received atthe service enhancer 1404. The service enhancer 1404 may override thecontrol plane and send both the user plane and the control plane to theclient 1402.

FIG. 15 shows exemplary communications associated with networkindependent service enhancer discovery and offloading processes, inaccordance with various embodiments. Exemplary communications diagram1500 includes a client 1502 (e.g., the computing device 116, thecomputing device 118, etc.), a service enhancer 1504 (e.g., the serviceenhancer 104), and a base station 1506 (e.g., base station 102). FIG. 15depicts exemplary communications between the client 1502, the serviceenhancer 1504, and the base station 1506 during network independentdiscovery and user plane offloading to service enhancer 1504. The client1502 is a device with wireless connectivity (e.g., smart phone, cellphone, laptop, tablet, etc.) that has a limited signal and communicationstrength over a network associated with base station 1506. The serviceenhancer 1504 is a specialized device configured for expanding serviceor a user's equipment that has been volunteered or assigned to functionas a service enhancer, as described herein.

The service enhancer 1504 sends beacon 1520 to the client 1502. Thebeacon 1520 includes an indicator that the service enhancer 1504 isavailable to provide service (e.g., communications) to devicesproximately located to the service enhancer 1504. The client 1502identifies the beacon 1520 and determines whether to respond to thebeacon 1520 and the associated response (e.g., accepting or rejectingthe opportunity to receive data via the service enhancer 1504). Theclient 1502 may then send acknowledgment 1522 which acknowledges toservice enhancer 1504 that the client 1502 would like to receive service(e.g., data) from the service enhancer 1504.

The client 1502 may then send request 1530 to base station 1506. Therequest 1530 is a request for permission, from the base station 1506, toreceive data from the service enhancer 1504. The base station 1506 maymake a determination based on the capabilities of the service enhancer1504, as described herein. The determination by the base station 1506 isbased on a determination by one or more network components (e.g.,backbone, servers, etc.). The base station 1506 may then send anindicator granting or denying permission. If the base station 1506grants permission, response 1532 is sent to the client 1502 with anindicator that the base station 1506 grants the client 1502 permissionto use the service enhancer 1504 for service (e.g., datacommunications).

The client 1502 may then send request 1540 which requests data for theclient 1502 be sent from the service enhancer 1504. The service enhancer1504 may then send response 1542 including an indication of acceptanceof the request 1540. The service enhancer 1504 may then optionally sendnotification 1550 to base station 1506 requesting the offloading ofcommunications with the client 1502 to the service enhancer 1504 andrequesting that data for the client 1502 be sent to the service enhancer1504. The client 1502 may optionally send notification 1552 to basestation 1506 requesting the offloading of communications to the serviceenhancer 1504 and requesting that data for the client 1502 be sent tothe service enhancer 1504. The base station 1506 may then data 1554(which is for client 1502) to the service enhancer 1504. The serviceenhancer 1504 then sends data 1554 (as data 1556) to client 1502. Theservice enhancer 1504 may modify (e.g., re-encode) data 1554 for sendingto the client 1502.

The client 1502 is subscribed to the base station 1506. The base station1506 assists the client 1502 in discovery of the service enhancer 1504and offloading of the user plane to the service enhancer 1504. Thecontrol plane and the user plane of the client 1502 come from theservice enhancer 1506.

Referring now to FIG. 16, a block diagram of a computer system platformin accordance with embodiments of the present invention is shown. Withreference to FIG. 16, an example system module for implementingembodiments disclosed above, such as those described in FIGS. 1-15. Thesystem includes a general purpose computing system environment, such ascomputing system environment 1600. The computing system environment 1600may include servers, desktop computers, laptops, tablets, mobiledevices, and smartphones, etc. The computing system environment 1600typically includes at least one processing unit 1602 and computerreadable storage medium 1604. Depending on the exact configuration andtype of computing system environment, computer readable storage medium1604 is volatile (such as RAM), non-volatile (such as ROM, flash memory,etc.) or some combination of the two. Portions of computer readablestorage medium 1604 when executed may perform method of enhancingnetwork coverage using service enhancer devices, as described herein.

Additionally in various embodiments, the computing system environment1600 may also have other features/functionalities. For example, thecomputing system environment 1600 may also include additional storage(removable and/or non-removable) including, but not limited to, magneticor optical disks or tape. Such additional storage is illustrated byremovable storage 1608 and non-removable storage 1610. Computer storagemedia includes volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removablemedia implemented in any method or technology for storage of informationsuch as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modulesor other data. Computer readable medium 1604, removable storage 1608 andnonremovable storage 1610 are all examples of computer storage media.Computer storage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM,EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, expandable memory (e.g.USB sticks, compact flash cards, SD cards), CD-ROM, digital versatiledisks (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape,magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any othermedium which can be used to store the desired information and which canbe accessed by the computing system environment 1600. Any such computerstorage media is part of the computing system environment 1600.

The computing system environment 1600 may also contain communicationsconnection(s) 1612 that allow it to communicate with other devices.Communications connection(s) 1612 are an example of communication media.Communication media typically embodies computer readable instructions,data structures, program modules or other data in a modulated datasignal such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism and includesany information delivery media. The term “modulated data signal” means asignal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed insuch a manner as to encode information in the signal. By way of example,and not limitation, communication media includes wired media such as awired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such asacoustic, radio frequency (RF), infrared and other wireless media. Theterm computer readable media as used herein includes both storage mediaand communication media.

Communications connection(s) 1612 may allow the computing systemenvironment 1600 to communicate over various networks types including,but not limited to, fibre channel, small computer system interface(SCSI), Bluetooth, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Infrared Data Association (IrDA),Local area networks (LAN), Wireless Local area networks (WLAN), widearea networks (WAN) such as the internet, serial, and universal serialbus (USB). It is appreciated the various network types that thecommunication connection(s) 1612 connect to may run a plurality ofnetwork protocols including transmission control protocol (TCP), userdatagram protocol (UDP), Internet Protocol (IP), real-time transportprotocol (RTP), real-time transport control protocol (RTCP), filetransfer protocol (FTP), and hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), etc.

In further embodiments, the computing system environment 1600 may alsohave input device(s) 1614 such as a keyboard, mouse, a terminal orterminal emulator (either directly connected or remotely accessible viatelnet, SSH, HTTP, SSL, etc.), a pen, voice input device, touch inputdevice, a remote control, etc. Output device(s) 2016 such as a display,a terminal or terminal emulator (either directly connected or remotelyaccessible via telnet, SSH, HTTP, SSL, etc.), speakers, LEDs, etc. mayalso be included.

The computer readable storage medium 1604 includes a service enhancermodule 1620 and a network module 1650. The service enhancer module 1620is configured for enhancing network service to one more devices asdescribed herein. The network module 1650 is configured for operating inconjunction with the service enhancer module 1620 to setup and configurea device as a service enhancer, as described herein. The serviceenhancer module 1620 may be downloaded and installed to a device. Theservice enhancer module 1620 may execute on a device functioning asservice enhancer. The network module 1650 may execute on a base stationor other network component.

The service enhancer module 1620 includes a registration module 1622, aclient set determination module 1624, a configuration module 1626, alink establishment module 1628, a communication module 1630, a volunteermodule 1632, a testing module 1634, an availability module 1636, and anacceptance module 1636. The registration module 1622 is configured tofacilitate registration of a service enhancer device as describedherein. The client set determination module 1624 is configured fordetermining a client set for a service enhancer device, as describedherein. The client set determination module 1624 may determineneighboring devices and send beacon messages, as described herein. Theconfiguration module 1626 is configured for configuring a serviceenhancer (e.g., based on a configuration received from a network), asdescribed herein.

The link establishment module 1628 is configured for establishingclient, network, and service enhancer links, as described herein. Thecommunication module 1630 is configured for sending data to and from thenetwork (e.g., a base station) and one or more client devices (e.g.,user equipment, computing devices, etc.), as described herein. Thevolunteer module 1632 is configured for allowing configuration ofvolunteer settings for a device functioning as a service enhancer andfor communicating volunteer settings with the network, as describedherein. The testing module 1634 is configured to receive and performtests based on testing data received from a network, as describedherein. The availability module 1636 is configured for communicating theavailability of a device to function as a service enhancer, as describedherein. The acceptance module 1636 is configured for accepting andimplementing an assignment of a device to function as a serviceenhancer, as described herein.

The network module 1650 includes a registration module 1652, a needdetermination module 1654, a configuration determination module 1656, astorage module 1658, a communication module 1660, a control module 1662,an assignment module 1654, and a testing module 1656. The registrationmodule 1652 is configured to facilitate registration of a serviceenhancer within a network, as described herein. The need determinationmodule 1654 is configured for determining a need for a service enhancerin a network, as described herein. The configuration determinationmodule 1656 is configured to determine a configuration for a serviceenhancer, as described herein. The storage module 1656 is configured forstoring service enhancer client information, testing data, devicescapable of functioning as a service enhancer, configuration data, etc.,as described herein. The communication module 1660 is configured toallow a network component to communicate with a service enhancer, adevice functioning as a service enhancer, and client devices, asdescribed herein. The control module 1662 is configured for generatingcontrol plane information for clients of a service enhancer, asdescribed herein. The assignment module 1654 is configured to assignservice enhancement functions to a device, as described herein. Thetesting module 1656 is configured to send and process testing responsedata used to determine if a device will be permitted to function as aservice enhancer, as described herein.

Referring now to FIG. 17, a block diagram of another computer system inaccordance with some embodiments is shown. FIG. 17 depicts a blockdiagram of a computer system 1700 suitable for implementing embodimentsof the present invention. Computer system 1700 includes a bus 1712 whichconnects the major subsystems of the computer system 1700, such as acentral processor 1714, a system memory 1716 (typically RAM, but whichmay also include ROM, flash RAM, or the like), an input/outputcontroller 1718, an external audio device, such as a speaker system 1720via an audio output interface 1722, an external device, such as adisplay screen 1724 via a display adapter 1726, serial ports 1728 and1730, a keyboard 1732 (interfaced with a keyboard controller 1733), astorage interface 1734, a floppy disk drive 1736 operative to receive afloppy disk 1738, a host bus adapter (HBA) interface card 1735Aoperative to connect with a Fibre Channel network 1760, a host busadapter (HBA) interface card 1735B operative to connect to a SmallComputer System Interface (SCSI) bus 1737, and an optical disk drive1740 operative to receive an optical disk 1742. Also included are amouse 1727 (or other point-and-click device, coupled to bus 1712 viaserial port 1728), a modem 1746 (coupled to bus 1712 via serial port1730), and a network interface 1748 (coupled directly to bus 1712).

It is appreciated that the network interface 1748 may include one ormore Ethernet ports, wireless local area network (WLAN) interfaces,etc., but is not limited thereto. System memory 1716 includes a serviceenhancer module 1750, which is configured for sending, receiving, andtranslating communication between a network and one or more devicesthereby enhancing service to the one or more devices, as describedherein.

According to some embodiments, the communication module 1750 may includeother modules for carrying out various tasks (e.g., modules of FIG. 16).It is appreciated that the service enhancer module 1750 is locatedanywhere in the system and is not limited to the system memory 1716. Assuch, residing within the system memory 1716 is merely an example andnot intended to limit the scope of the embodiments. For example, partsof the service enhancer module 1750 is located within the centralprocessor 1714 and/or the network interface 1748 but are not limitedthereto.

The bus 1712 allows data communication between the central processor1714 and the system memory 1716, which may include read-only memory(ROM) or flash memory (neither shown), and random access memory (RAM)(not shown), as previously noted. The RAM is generally the main memoryinto which the operating system and application programs are loaded. TheROM or flash memory can contain, among other code, the BasicInput-Output system (BIOS), which controls basic hardware operation suchas the interaction with peripheral components. Applications residentwith computer system 1700 are generally stored on and accessed via acomputer readable medium, such as a hard disk drive (e.g., fixed disk1744), an optical drive (e.g., optical drive 1740), a floppy disk unit1736, or other storage medium. Additionally, applications can be in theform of electronic signals modulated in accordance with the applicationand data communication technology when accessed via network modem 1746or network interface 1748.

The storage interface 1734, as with the other storage interfaces ofcomputer system 1700, can connect to a standard computer readable mediumfor storage and/or retrieval of information, such as a fixed disk drive1744. A fixed disk drive 1744 is a part of computer system 1700 or isseparate and accessed through other interface systems. The networkinterface 1748 may provide multiple connections to networked devices.Furthermore, a modem 1746 may provide a direct connection to a remoteserver via a telephone link or to the Internet via an Internet serviceprovider (ISP). The network interface 1748 provides one or moreconnections to a data network, which may consist of any number of othernetwork-connected devices. The network interface 1748 may provide suchconnection using wireless techniques, including digital cellulartelephone connection, Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD) connection,digital satellite data connection or the like.

Many other devices or subsystems (not shown) is connected in a similarmanner (e.g., document scanners, digital cameras and so on). Conversely,not all of the devices shown in FIG. 17 need to be present to practicethe present disclosure. The devices and subsystems can be interconnectedin different ways than shown in FIG. 17. Code to implement the presentdisclosure can be stored in computer-readable storage media such as oneor more of system memory 1716, fixed disk 1744, optical disk 1742, orfloppy disk 1738. The operating system provided on computer system 1700is MS-DOS®, MS-WINDOWS®, OS/2®, UNIX®, Linux®, or any other operatingsystem.

Moreover, regarding the signals described herein, those skilled in theart will recognize that a signal can be directly transmitted from afirst block to a second block, or a signal can be modified (e.g.,amplified, attenuated, delayed, latched, buffered, inverted, filtered,or otherwise modified) between the blocks. Although the signals of theabove described embodiment are characterized as transmitted from oneblock to the next, other embodiments of the present disclosure mayinclude modified signals in place of such directly transmitted signalsas long as the informational and/or functional aspect of the signal istransmitted between blocks. To some extent, a signal input at a secondblock can be conceptualized as a second signal derived from a firstsignal output from a first block due to physical limitations of thecircuitry involved (e.g., there will inevitably be some attenuation anddelay). Therefore, as used herein, a second signal derived from a firstsignal includes the first signal or any modifications to the firstsignal, whether due to circuit limitations or due to passage throughother circuit elements which do not change the informational and/orfinal functional aspect of the first signal.

In the foregoing specification, embodiments have been described withreference to numerous specific details that may vary from implementationto implementation. Thus, the sole and exclusive indicator of what is theinvention, and is intended by the applicant to be the invention, is theset of claims that issue from this application, in the specific form inwhich such claims issue, including any subsequent correction. Hence, nolimitation, element, property, feature, advantage, or attribute that isnot expressly recited in a claim should limit the scope of such claim inany way. Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regardedin an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

What is claimed is:
 1. A device operable to communicate with a clientdevice over a first communication link, the device comprising: aprocessor; a memory coupled to the processor; a logic unit coupled tothe processor; and a transmitter and a receiver coupled to theprocessor, wherein the receiver is configured to receive data for aclient device originating from a base station when the device isproximately located to the client device, wherein a signal strength ofthe first communication link is greater than a signal strength of asecond communication link between the client device and the basestation, and wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit controlsignals generated by the base station to the client device, and whereinfurther the transmitter and receiver are further configured to extendwireless service connectivity to the client by sending and receivingdata between the client device and the base station.
 2. The device ofclaim 1, wherein the logic unit is configured for selecting between theclient device and another device to provide communication with the basestation between the client device and the another device and wherein thedevice and the client device are both mobile devices.
 3. The device ofclaim 1, wherein the logic unit is configured to volunteer thetransmitter and receiver to provide communication between the clientdevice and the base station.
 4. The device of claim 1, wherein the logicunit is configured to accept network assignment for assigning thetransmitter and receiver to provide communication between the clientdevice and the base station.
 5. The device of claim 1 further comprisinga mobile phone unit coupled to said processor.
 6. The device of claim 1,wherein control signals generated by the base station are sent directlyfrom the base station to the client device.
 7. The device of claim 1,wherein the logic unit is operable to cause the receiver and transmitterto provide wireless service to the client device based on proximity tothe client device.
 8. A method for enhancing network service, the methodcomprising: receiving data for a client device from a base station at acommunication device using a first transmission scheme, wherein theclient device is subscribed to the base station and wherein saidcommunication device is a wireless electronic device that is determinedto be idle; processing the data for transmission to the client using asecond transmission scheme; and sending the data to the client based onthe second transmission scheme, wherein the client device is proximatelylocated relative to the communication device, and wherein thecommunication device is configured to communicate only user planeinformation to the client device the base station, and wherein thecommunication device is configured to provide enhanced wireless coverageto the client device over that provided by the base station.
 9. Themethod of claim 8, wherein a signal strength of a communication linkbetween the client device and the communication device is greater than asignal strength of a communication link between the client device andthe base station.
 10. The method of claim 8, wherein the communicationdevice is user deployed and wherein the client device is a mobiledevice.
 11. The method of claim 8, wherein the communication device isoperator deployed.
 12. The method of claim 8, wherein the communicationdevice is configured to extend wireless service to the client device.13. The method of claim 8, wherein the communication device isconfigured to increase data throughput to the client device.
 14. Themethod of claim 8, wherein the communication device is configured toextend wireless service into an area with limited wireless coverage. 15.A mobile device comprising: a processor; a transmitter and a receivercoupled to the processor and operable for communicating with a componentof a communications network and a plurality of terminal devices; and amemory coupled to the processor and having stored therein instructionsthat, when executed, cause the mobile device to perform a methodcomprising: identifying a subset of terminal devices of the plurality ofterminal devices wherein the terminal devices in the subset areproximately located to the device, wherein the transmitter and receiversend and receive data at a higher rate within the communication networkthan the subset of terminal devices; forming a collaborative groupcomprising the mobile device and the subset of terminal devices; andestablishing communication links between the communication network andthe collaborative group.
 16. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein themethod further comprising establishing the communication links betweenthe communication network and the collaborative group in response todetection of a weak network signal strength within the communicationnetwork.
 17. The mobile device of claim 16, wherein the establishing ofthe communication links between the network and the collaborative groupis responsive to an assignment of the mobile device to manage the subsetof terminal devices.
 18. The mobile device of claim 16, wherein theestablishing of the communication links between the network and thecollaborative group comprises volunteering the mobile device to managethe subset of terminal devices.
 19. The mobile device of claim 15,wherein the subset of terminal devices is a cooperative user equipmentgroup delegated by the mobile device.
 20. The mobile device of claim 15,wherein the communication network generates control signals which aresent to the collaborative group.